So This is Christmas
by sashay
Summary: RENT. A rather short holiday fic, taking place directly after the finale. "Mimi is back. You guys are together. We’re all here together. Lets just enjoy today and forget about everything else for a while.” Reviews rock my retail-filled world.


Author's Notes 12/23/02: Merry Christmas a couple of days early. Here's my contribution. Just for the record, this one also doubles as Lola's Christmas present, though she keeps saying that fic can't be a present. Well, when you're as poor as me, yes it can. lol.   
  
Lola-you are the Joanne to my Maureen. Except not. :P  
Thanks for listening to months of my rantings and for listening to me sing incessantly for about 48 hours. Love ya. ;)  
  
Love and mad props to Dulcey, Lola, and Becca, as always. For Maggie and Nikki and their impending VT Rent. Mwaha.  
  
To every customer I have waited on in the past two weeks minus about...twenty or so people: to go hell. Go directly to hell. Do not pass go; do not collect $200.  
  
Anywho. Read. Enjoy. Bake cookies and get sloshed off cheap wine along with the characters. And just, in general, have a fabulous day.  
  
Disclaimer: As usual, these characters are property of Jonathan Larson. Except Bubba. But he's more property of Winchester, VA than anything else.  
  
  
**  
  
So This is Christmas  
by sashay  
  
**  
  
  
"We are getting a real tree,"   
  
I blinked my eyes, hoping that I hadn't misread her. Mimi had been alive about...I checked my watch-3 hours. And yet she was demanding we go buy some dead, defenseless tree that we couldn't afford and cover it with gaudy decorations and sing Christmas carols? I didn't celebrate Christmas, but even I knew that was fucked up.  
  
"But, Mimi-" I began  
  
Despite everyone staring at her like she'd officially lost her mind in the minute or so when she'd been...not among the living, she simply lifted her chin in defiance. Her gaze hardened, daring anyone to challenge her. She shot us a look that immediately silenced any arguments we could have made.  
  
"I've never had a real tree. Have you?"  
  
I immediately shook my head. Being, you know, Jewish, we'd never really had much cause to go out and promote the destruction of forests. But, one by one, almost sadly, everyone else in the room confirmed Mimi's suspicions. Even Joanne, which shocked the hell out of me.  
  
"Then it's settled," she continued. "All of us are going tonight to get one."  
  
Collins nodded slowly, apparently putting some thought into what Mimi was implying but not stating. That we all needed to do something as a family. That the past year had been a difficult one, and we needed to take this one night to celebrate everything we still had left.   
  
"I think that's a good idea," he said, smiling softly at Mimi.  
  
She nodded back at him, her previous boldness giving way into a soft, shy, little-girl smile.  
  
Maureen looked up, her personality instantly becoming as perky as her curly blonde hair. "Can we make ornaments?"  
  
I sighed. Classic Maureen statement right there. Only she would want to relive years of elementary school projects right here in our shitty loft with no heat, no construction paper, and no glue.  
  
Mimi looked up, surprised. Apparently she hadn't thought further than the tree. "Sure, honey. We're going to need something to put on the tree."  
  
Maureen smiled happily and looked at Joanne. "See. I told you it was a good idea."  
  
Joanne, brilliant woman that she is, just smiled and nodded. Meanwhile, Maureen had bolted over to the kitchen and was rounding up anything that could be used to make decorations.  
  
Roger looked up from where he'd been sitting on the couch, staying out of Mimi's way. He learned early on that it was better to keep clear of her when she was on a mission. Sometimes Mimi was just a little too much to handle, and it was better to let her do her own thing than argue with her. You'd never win, anyway.  
  
"Won't we need lights, or something?" he asked, standing up. Without even waiting for an answer, he continued. "Mark, you and I are going for lights."  
  
"Rog, we don't have money," I pointed out.  
  
He shrugged. "We'll think of something."  
  
Never one to question those prone to illegal activities, I simply agreed. We grabbed our coats and left the loft, telling everyone that we'd be back in an hour or so. Maureen was already hard at work on decorations and they were as god awful as I had feared. But, it was the sentiment that counted, I supposed.  
  
"Come on, Marcus," Roger called, already halfway down the stairs. I rolled my eyes at him and followed.  
  
"So where are we going?" I asked once we were halfway down the block.  
  
"No idea," Roger replied. "But I had to get out of there. Too much Christmas cheer for my taste."  
  
I nodded sympathetically. Roger's dad had run out on him and his mom at Christmas. Roger was seven. Understandably, it wasn't his favorite time of year.  
  
"Well, maybe don't think of this as a Christmas thing."  
  
He stopped dead in his tracks, narrowing his eyes. "What do you mean?"  
  
I thought for a moment, considering my words carefully. "Just think of it as us all doing something together for the first time in about a year."  
  
He tilted his head to the side slightly, clearly backing down from his stance a bit. I continued. "I mean, Mimi is back. You guys are together. We're all here together. Lets just enjoy today and forget about everything else for a while."  
  
Roger chewed on his lower lip slightly, as he always seemed to do when he was nervous. He finally met my eyes. "Okay, Mark."  
  
I nodded. "Now where are we getting these lights? If we don't come back without something, they'll kill us."  
  
"True," he agreed. "Do you have any money on you?"  
  
I shook my head. "No, I thought you did."  
  
"Nope."  
  
Damnit.  
  
"I guess we'll have to improvise, then," he said. I sighed. I was hoping this would not only be a merry Christmas, but a mostly legal Christmas. Apparently not.  
  
Roger looked thoughtful, then took off down the street at one hell of a brisk pace. I ran to catch up with him. "I think I might know where we can get some."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"You know that bag lady?"  
  
I paused. "Yeah."  
  
"Yeah," Roger replied.  
  
Oh, God. "Roger...."  
  
"What? She won't miss them."  
  
I just sighed. It seemed like I was doing a lot of that today.  
  
**  
  
Two hours later, with multiple bruises and scrapes, Roger and I arrived back at the loft, victorious.   
  
"You're back!" Mimi squealed, covered from head to toe in flour. For some reason, I really didn't want to see what our kitchen looked like.  
  
"You're drunk," I pointed out, setting the pile of Christmas lights on the floor. Mimi giggled and nodded, almost proudly.  
  
Collins looked up from the coffee table, which had been transformed into a crafts station by Maureen, clearly surprised. "Where did you guys manage to get those?"  
  
"Um..." I began.  
  
Roger quickly jumped in to my rescue. "We got lucky."  
  
I stifled a laugh. Yeah, if lucky meant being chased through East Village by a crazed homeless bag lady who was hurling obscenities and trashcan lids at you, then we certainly did get lucky. However, we also got lights and had a good laugh about it. So, it all worked out in the end. I think.  
  
"Look what I made!" Maureen called out, beaming proudly. In her hand she held a ball of tinfoil attached to a string. I'd say it looked like a cat toy, but I don't even think a cat would find that particular object appealing.  
  
Mimi looked over from where she had attacked Roger when he'd walked in the door and bit her lip to keep from laughing. "Its beautiful, sweetie." Maureen smiled back at her, then resumed her decoration making.  
  
God bless Mimi for being born with a bit of tact.  
  
I wandered into the kitchen, leaving Mimi and Roger to make out against the door, and found Joanne hard at work making cookies. Apparently Mimi had abandoned her. Though, given how drunk Mimi currently was, it may have been a blessing in disguise.  
  
"We have food?" I asked, immediately zeroing in on the bowl of cookie dough.   
  
"Away from the cookies, Cohen," Joanne replied, brandishing a wooden spoon.   
  
I quickly jumped back, hands in the air. "Yes, ma'am."  
  
I leaned against the refrigerator, staying out of Joanne's way. "So really, where did you guys get all of this?"  
  
"Collins," she replied. I nodded.   
  
"I take it he bought the wine, too?" I asked, pointing to the empty bottle on the counter.   
  
She laughed. "Yeah, that was supposed to be for later."  
  
"Figures,"   
  
Joanne went back to placing cut out sugar cookies onto the cookie tray. I heard Roger's bedroom door slam in the background and figured that he and Mimi were going to be otherwise occupied for the next half hour or so.  
  
"Can I help with anything?" I asked, keeping my distance from the currently snappish Joanne.  
  
"Not a chance,"  
  
"Okay," I agreed, watching her work. I jumped up onto the counter and sat down, watching as Joanne shot me a dirty look over her shoulder.  
  
"So do we know what sparked Mimi's sudden Christmas cheer?" I asked, hoping that she'd let something out while downing the bottle of wine.  
  
Joanne shook her head. "She didn't say a thing to me. We just chatted for a while." She paused, putting the cookies into the oven. "I think earlier really scared her."  
  
"As it should have," I replied. "She can't be running around on the streets like that."  
  
"I know," she said, sighing. "But it's not like anyone gets away with telling Mimi what to do. Hell, look at us. We're making ornaments and cookies and trying to figure out where to buy a tree, for God's sake."  
  
"Good point," I agreed. "I think I'm going to go make sure Maureen isn't destroying anything of value."  
  
Joanne smirked at me. "And that would be...what exactly?"  
  
I just laughed. She had a point, but as nasty as our stuff was, it was still better than no stuff at all. I stepped out into the living room and was immediately assaulted with an object made out of saran wrap.  
  
"Marky!" Maureen shouted, obviously the originator of said saran wrap object. I looked down at the plastic thing in my hand. It looked like...a dildo, I decided finally despite hoping I had been sadly mistaken. But, no. I was correct. Maureen was making sex toy ornaments for our tree.  
  
"Maureen, what in the hell are you doing to this tree?"  
  
She flipped her hair. "This tree could use some spice. Its so...plain. I mean, just look at it."  
  
My mouth hung open. "You do realize that we don't HAVE a tree yet, right?"  
  
"Oh, Marky. Use your imagination for once," she sighed, going back to the table.  
  
Ouch. That one stung.  
  
The door to Roger's room swung open and he half-staggered out, covered in lipstick prints. His hair was rumpled and sticking out in every direction.   
  
Apparently he and Mimi had caught up on old times.  
  
"Don't we need a tree, or something?" Roger asked. Roger never was the most astute person I'd met. Intelligent, sure. But he certainly made some dumbass comments from time to time.  
  
Mimi walked out behind him, looking like nothing had ever happened. I don't think that woman ever looked bad. Ugliness just was not I her genes. She wrapped her arms around Roger's waist.  
  
"Rog is right, we should go soon," I agreed.   
  
Mimi looked up at us, an evil glint in her eye. "I know just the place."  
  
**  
  
We arrived at Bubba's Christmas Tree Lot in Jersey City about two hours later. We'd taken Joanne's car and Mimi apparently had some plan concocted already. I didn't think I wanted to know what was about to happen, but I was pretty damned sure that none of this was anywhere near legal.  
  
Mimi got out of the car and grabbed Maureen's hand. "You're coming with me," she ordered. "Mark, Roger, Collins...you grab the tree when we're ready. Joanne, stay with the car."  
  
"Meems, tell me we're not stealing a tree from good old Bubba, over there," I said, sighing raggedly and pointing to a chunky man in overalls standing by a travel trailer.  
  
She smiled sweetly. "Sure, Mark. We're not stealing a tree."  
  
I shook my head, watching as she and Maureen sauntered over to Bubba and proceeded to unbutton their coats, then their shirts, then simply drag him behind the travel trailer.  
  
"Well, I think they'll be busy for a while," Collins remarked. "Lets find a tree."  
  
After walking around for a minute or two and attempting to ignore the girls' giggles and shrieks, we found a nice, fluffy white pine that was selling for about $85. Collins and Roger picked it up and carried it to the car and tied it on top with no major mishaps. I watched from a distance, proclaiming myself lookout, and trying to act like I didn't really know these people.  
  
Finally, Joanne drove the car a few blocks away and waited for the girls to reappear.  
  
Twenty minutes later, we all piled back in the car and Maureen pulled her shirt back on. Joanne glared at her in the rearview mirror.  
  
"What?" Maureen asked, huffily. "I only made out with Mimi. You think I'd touch that nasty old thing?"  
  
Everyone's eyes popped out of their heads simultaneously. Finally, Roger spoke. "You...what?"  
  
Maureen rolled her eyes. "I'll break it down for you, Davis. Me. Mimi. Partial nudity. Kissing. With tongue."  
  
"And teeth," Mimi grinned, a maniacally evil glint in her eye. Maureen smiled back at her and laughed.  
  
"Merry Christmas, Bubba," I muttered. That man probably hadn't seen anything that great in his entire life. And, considering who we were talking about, I think we'd just unwittingly paid for the tree.  
  
**  
  
By 11 that night, the tree was trimmed, the halls were decked, and we were all sloshed off of eggnog and cheap red wine. So, the cookies were quite...interestingly decorated. Mimi had gone around taking pictures of all of us, and she and Maureen had a bit too much fun playing with the sex toy tree ornaments. All in all, it had been one hell of a night.  
  
Maureen and Mimi reappeared from the kitchen (we were all a bit nervous and intrigued to leave the two of them together after the tree...purchase) with a bottle of Stoli. I immediately recognized it as the one Collins had brought us last Christmas Eve, and smiled.  
  
Mimi smiled at us, shyly. "I think there's enough for everyone to have a shot." Once we all had drinks in our hands, she looked at Collins. "To Angel," she murmured, smiling softly. "And to being here together. As a family."  
  
We all smiled, echoed her sentiments, and took the shots. I walked over to Mimi and put my arms around her. "Thanks, Meems."  
  
She looked up at me, clearly surprised. "For what?"  
  
"For doing this. For just being you."  
  
"Oh, Mark," she sighed, kissing my cheek. "I'm just doing what she would have done, except not nearly as well."  
  
So that was it. That was what had sparked all of this holiday fervor in Mimi. It was because Angel wasn't here to bring us together. Whatever had happened today had made her want to fill the void Angel had left in October and make us all feel like a family again.  
  
"Meems, she'd be so proud of you. We're all proud of you," I replied, my breath rustling the curls behind her ear. She hugged me tighter.  
  
"Thank you," she said, pulling away and smiling at me briefly. She went over to hug Collins, who said a few words to her, then made her way over to Roger. He simply wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on the top of her head. He looked so at peace holding Mimi. It made me so happy to see him looking alive again. But I couldn't help but ache for a bit of happiness of my own.  
  
Maureen ran over from the window. "It's snowing!" she shouted, grabbing her scarf and coat and racing down the stairs. I laughed at her, but we all eventually wandered downstairs after her.  
  
When we got outside, we found she and Joanne outside, holding each other and watching the snow. I wished for my camera, but instead settled for capturing some of the moments of this day in my mind's eye. It was the sort of day I'd never forget, even if I wanted to.  
  
Mimi smiled up at Roger, snowflakes standing out against her dark curly hair. She grinned wildly up at him, her eyes daring him to resist her. "Kiss me," she demanded, still smiling. Roger, being a smart man, didn't keep her waiting.  
  
Collins walked over to my side. I looked up at him, smiling slightly. "Don't you go getting any ideas."  
  
He laughed. "I wouldn't dream of it."  
  
Watching the snow fall and cover the street, watching our friends love each other...it was all worth it. It was Christmas, after all. Mimi was alive; Roger was back. There was so much to be thankful for. We all felt the loss of Angel more acutely than usual, but instead of turning against each other and blindly asking why, we were turning towards each other. Christmas wasn't anything religious to any of us, but it was about being thankful for what we had and sharing a beautiful, snowy night with our friends. And, in the end, I think it meant more that way.  
  
"Merry Christmas, Mark," Collins said, putting an arm around my shoulders.  
  
I looked up at him, truly happy for the first time in a long time.   
  
"Merry Christmas."  
  
**  
  
Merry Christmas, darlings. Go tell your friends and family that you love them and try to remember that its not about return lines and who bought what for who.   
  
No day but today. :) 


End file.
